10+ Math Picture Books Your Kids Will Love

Truth be told, I’ve been wanting to do a math-themed month of picture books for a while now. In fact, this post has been in my drafts for months. The trouble is, there are so many great math storybooks out there today, making it extremely difficult to choose favorites. I have gone back and forth over my choices one too many times and I’ve decided that today I’m just going to click “publish” and stop hemming and hawing. Because we have so many favorites, I’ve included some of our other favorites at the bottom of this post.

Our family’s favorite math picture books:

Without further ado, here are my picks (before I can change my mind again!). When you’re finished reading, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know your family’s favorites!

Truth be told, I could do an entire math month of Greg Tang’s Math-terpieces! Tang is a Harvard grad and experienced math teacher. He has a knack for writing about mathematics in a way that is engaging, fun for children, and educational. It was difficult to choose our favorite Tang book. I strongly encourage those who end up loving Math for All Seasons to explore Tang’s other works as you will not be disappointed!

My children adore this book. This is a sweet story about sharing, but it’s so much more than that… it’s early math! Two children and a plate of one dozen cookies must figure out how to share their loot with friends each time the doorbell rings. And that doorbell just keeps ringing! The repetition in this story makes for a perfect learning opportunity. It’s a classic in our home and I hope your children love it, too!

Zero can be a tricky concept for children and books like A Place for Zero and Zero is theLeaves on the Tree help children grasp the concept in a fun, non-threatening way. When you read the story of Zero, a number who feels left out amongst the other numbers, your children will be learning about higher-level concepts, including multiplication, division, and even the concept of infinity!

I already admitted that I had trouble deciding upon which books to include in this month’s list, but How Much is a Million? has been on every single draft to date. It made the cut time and time again. I love this book. Love love love! This gem has been around for over 20-years and has many well-deserved accolades. With whimsical illustrations that your children will adore, How Much is a Million? takes children on a visual journey that helps children conceptualize just how vast numbers can be! This is a creative, magical, and funny read-aloud that will have your children fascinated with numbers!

Here are more math picture books that we adore:

It was so tough to choose this month! Here are some of our family’s favorite math story books that deserve some love, too!

Do you want to expose your children to higher-level math concepts in a fun way?

The following books are a bit heavier than storybooks, yet they are treasured in our home. As a parent, I love how these books weave complicated math concepts into interesting stories. My children are enjoying the stories and have no idea that they are learning math that, in public school, is saved for the later years.

Does your family love math picture books? Do you want to see how to transform math books into hands-on learning?

Here is a post I wrote about how we use math books in our homeschool:

Take your math picture book read-alouds to the next level with games!

I love to use games in our homeschool as a way to have fun and practice skills. We all know that all board games work on math skills, but some are more mathy than others. Why not snuggle up with some hot cocoa and take the math theme to the next level with these fun games:

Cait is a school psychologist, mom to three amazing children, and an unexpected homeschooler. She loves nature, good books, board games, strong coffee, and dancing in her kitchen. You can read about all of these things and more at My Little Poppies.

Cait is a contributing writer for Simple Homeschool and GeekMom. Her work has also appeared on The Huffington Post, The Mighty, and Scary Mommy. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagramand G+.

Comments

Zero the Hero by Jane Holub is one we found at our local library. Not only does it highlight the important role of the number zero (and place value), but you also get a humorous look at Roman Numerals. (Does anyone teach those anymore??)